HARDWOOD RECORD 



for past support and for the excellent manner in which the pro- 

 ceedings of the National association have been handled. 



R. B. Goodman, acting president of the association, was given a 

 vote of appreciation of his devoted labor, zeal and leadership dur- 

 ing the past year. 



The government was requested to extend the scope and facilities 

 of the Forest Products Laboratory at Madison, Wis., in order that 

 it can carry on to better advantage the work it is doing in the 

 interest of the lumber industry. 



The association approved the action of the traffic committee in 

 authorizing its attorney to intervene in Interstate Commerce Com- 

 mission docket 10048 in co-operation with and support of the 

 Xational Box Manufacturers' Association, and that the attorney be 

 authorized to file a brief in the case. 



The association is asked to instruct the traffic committee to pre- 

 pare a brief statement outlining the undesirable phases of recon- 

 signment abuses growing out of the handling of transit cars and 

 the resultant car detention, and that such statement be submitted 

 to various retail lumber dealers' associations for their information. 



It was resolved that the association opposes the elimination of 

 the weather rule of the national code of demurrage rules and that 

 the secretary be instructed to advise the car demurrage and storage 

 committee of the Xational Industrial Traffic League of this attitude 

 with the request that the opposition as stated be noted. 



The association recognizes the able manner, sound judgment 

 and wise foresight of its retiring president, H. H. Downman, in 

 providing to the government means for prompt and adequate supply 

 of lumber for all war necessities, and extends to him its sincere 

 appreciation of his services to the government and itself, without 

 which the war demands on the industry could not have been met. 



The following resolution expresses the association's attitude on 

 the matter of minimum weight for cars: 



That the Xational I.umbor Manufacturers' Association petition the 

 Interstate Comnierce Commission to hold a single hearing at Chicago in 

 Oriier 10128. ami that the traffic committee he authorized to take all 

 necessary steps to present the case of the lumbermen to the commission ; 

 that the lumbermen are opposed to the method of varying minima accord- 

 ing to the cubical capacity of cars and favor a freight minimum of, for 

 example. 34,000 pounds for cars under thirty-six feet long and 40,000 

 pounds for cars thlrty-slx feet long and over, provided that actual weights 

 shall govern when cars are loaded to their full visible capacity and that 

 the minima applicable to the size cars ordered shall be protected In the 

 event of cars of larger size being furnished by the carriers. The term 

 "full visible capacity" should be defined and Incorporated lu tariffs. 



Support is to be extended to the Red Cross and to the Tenth and 

 Twentieth TJ. S. Engineers. 



A resolution urges carriers to accept the principle that lumber 

 does not usually change in weight in transit, and the initial weight 

 should govern except where reweighing shows a palpable error. 

 Carriers in southwestern and western trunk line territory should 

 become parties to the national code of weighing rules, whereby it 

 becomes incumbent upon them to notify shippers of changes in 

 weights enroute as per the Interstate Commerce Commission 's find- 

 ings in 28 I. C. C. 7, thus affording shippers an opportunity to have 

 cars re-weighed if desired. The traffic committee was given full 

 authority to oppose the proposed weighing rules and have the above 

 adopted by the carriers. 



On the subject of car stakes and the bulkheading of lumber it 

 was resolved: 



That the National Lumber Manufacturers' Association approves of the 

 action of the traffic committee In authorizing Its attorney to protest against 

 Applications 27.51-2752-2753, filed by .\gcnt Powc in behalf of southeastern 

 lines, requesting permission to reduce the existing dunnage allowance 

 for car stakes from 500 to 200 pounds. It being the opinion of the lum- 

 bermen that the present allowance Is inadequate, and further, that such 

 applications if granted would soon be made applicable throughout the 

 entire lumber producing territory. 



That with respect to the proposed plan of bulkheading lumber loaded 

 on open cars, submitted by the loading rules committee of the Master 

 Car Builders' Association. It is the position of the transportation com- 

 mittee that such co-operation as has been or will be given the railroads Is 

 offered only to the end that the carriers acquire a clear conception of 

 practical conditions surrounding the loading of lumber at the lumber 

 manufacturing plants, so that the carriers may thereby refrain from 

 establishing rules Impossible of execution or Involving unnecessary costs ; 



such co-operation In no wise to be construed as approving of any plan 

 submitted by the carriers. 



That the comnilttee approves of the method of loading as Indicated 

 by test car C. R. I. & P. 90114. loaded under the auspices of the loading 

 rules committee of the Master Car Builders' Association and the Southern 

 Pine Association, It being the conviction of the committee that such method 

 of loading Is adequate to prevent shifting of load by ordinary handling 

 of the carriers enroute and until such method Is proved to be Inadequate 

 we vigorously oppose the plan proposed by the master car builders. 



The chairman was authorized to take such steps as will tend to prevent 

 the proposed bulkheading system being enforced until adequate allow- 

 ance Is nuule by the carriers to olTset the cost or until the method of load- 

 ing suggested by the southern pine lumbermen be proved Inadquate. 

 I Another resolution placed the association on record as not opposed 

 to any increase in freight rates which, on investigation, the Federal 

 authorities may deem necessary or proper to allow the carriers, but 

 that any such advances in the lumber rates should be made on cents 

 per hundred pounds uniformly throughout the country and not only 

 percentage basis in order that present commercial relations between 

 the various producing territories be maintained; and that in deter- 

 mining the measure of the advance to be borne by the lumbermen 

 the government should bear in mind the present inordinately high 

 yield to the carriers of the lumber tonnage as compared with all 

 traffic and as contrasted with specific commodities, and that before 

 determining upon the measure of such advance to be granted a hear- 

 ing be had to which the lumbermen be permitted to demonstrate 

 their relatively high burden of transportation costs. If such 

 increases be allowed because of abnormal conditions confronting 

 the carriers, such increases should be made in a manner to permit 

 of ready renewal when existing abnormal conditions cease; that 

 any increases made effective subsequent to January 1, 1918, be 

 included as a part of the proposed general advance in lumber rates, 

 and that any applications for increases now pending be cancelled 

 or embraced as a part of the proposed general advances. i 



Election of Officers 



The new board of directors proceeded with the election of officers 

 for the following year with the choice shown below: 



President — J. H. KIrby, Houston, Tex. 



FiKST Vice-President — J. W. Blodgett, Grand Kaplds, Mich. 



Second Vice-President — J. H. Bloedel, Seattle, Wash. 



Treasurer — C. 11. Worcester, Chicago, III. 



Acting Secretary — John Llnd, Chicago, 111. 



The report on terms of sale was submitted by Edward Hines, to 

 the effect that they be cash in sixty days, as in the past, with dis- 

 count for cash in fifteen days. But it was recommended that the 

 discount be one per cent instead of two. The advance in the price 

 of lumber, over what the price was until recently, makes the actual 

 cash in a one per cent discount nearly as much as it formerly was 

 at two per cent. There was discussion of the question whether the 

 time should be counted from the date of the invoice or from the 

 date of delivery. It was thought that fifteen days from the date 

 of invoice was about equivalent, on average shipments, to five days 

 after delivery. The meeting made no decision of that matter, and 

 the report stood as a recommendation. The discussion brought 

 advocates of trade acceptances to their feet, and the debate bid 

 fair to enter the broad field of banking and general finance, but 

 by a sort of mutual consent the discussion came to a close without 

 action being taken to commit the association to any particular 

 policy along that line. The report of the committee on terms of 

 sale was adopted. 



Government Relations Mass Meeting 

 The program of the regular meeting ended with the session of 

 Tuesday afternoon; but the liveliest session of all came on Wednes- 

 day when the members of the association met in a sort of mass 

 meeting to consider the war relations of the association with the 

 government. W. H. Sullivan was chosen as chairman of the meet- 

 ing. 



The session opened with a report by John H. Kirby of his recent 

 work in Washington where he went as a special committee to lay 

 before the proper officials of the government the objections of the 

 Southern Pine Association to the proposal or threat that the gov- 

 ernment was about to fix the price at which the manufacturers of 

 lumber should sell their product to private parties. The threat 



